I think the theme of this movie is that everyone, no matter what race they may happen to be, has preconceived prejudices that can come into play whenever they are encountered by someone of a different race. It is imposible not to notice someone's ethnic background and all the stereotypes that are attached to it. Its up to the citizens of hte world to try and break through those barriers and see people as people. I just wonder if the human race will ever be ready for that.
There are eight storylines (I think-there's a lot of them) that mostly have a small connection to each other, and all were very compelling. The District Attorney (Brendan Fraser as Rick Cabot) and his wife (Sandra Bullock as Jean Cabot) are carjacked at gunpoint by two black men (Ludicris as Anthony and Terrence Dashon Howard as Cameron), which leads to two cops (Matt Dillon as Sgt. Ryan and Ryan Phillippe as Officer Hanson) to pull over another couple driving the same make and model. The two people were black and Sgt. Ryan harrasses them, as well as doing somethign much worse. Jean Cabot has her locks changed by a Spanish man she doesn't trust, although he is actually the most decent and honest person in the film. A persian man hires the same locksmith to change the locks of his store, but refuses to pay him after being told that the door is broken.
There are more stories, and each one hooks you in. It shows you that even racist people will put their hatred aside in order to save a life and that even someone who doesn't want to has preconceived prejudices that they can't control. Paul Haggis (writer of "Million Dollar Baby") wrote a great script that he also did a great job of directing. There was only one part that I thought was cliche, but it led to a cool reveal. This film should be viewed in every class (high school or college) that tackles the topic of racism adn prejudice.
I'm sure "Crash" will get a lot more press in September when Oprah talks about her "Crash" moment: when a French boutique wouldn't let her shop in their store 15 minutes after closing because they were setting up for a PR function. Fuck you, Oprah.
Written by: RF